Starting Off: Skincare

Hello again :)
I'm excited as this is my first post as part of the starting off project, which is a project run by Stephanie from Steph's Inside Voice, aiming to help teenage girls, or simply people new to skincare/makeup by giving tips on what we've found works best for us. There are over 120 bloggers involved, so at 6pm every Tuesday, check out the hashtag #theSOproject on twitter to check out all of our posts!

The first topic of discussion is skincare. To be entirely honest, i'm not massively into skincare products. I'm lucky enough to have never really had any problems with my skin, i've never had acne and apart from the occasional blemish my skin tends to be pretty good. Therefore I don't see the need to go overboard and spend lots of money on products to improve my skin, when it's fine as it is. However, I have found a few great (and most importantly, cheap) products, which work well for me. This is my basic, no-fuss skincare routine and for the most part, this is what i've stuck to for the last couple of years or so.

Face scrub: In the mornings I like to use a face wash to clean my face and wake me up. I love this Olay Smoothing Face Scrub (usually £2.49 from Boots) as it contains tiny exfoliating beads, which gently rub away any surface skin cells, dirt or leftover make-up from the previous day. Although the exfoliating beads make a noticeable difference, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth, this product is very gentle so can be used on a daily basis, as opposed to some more harsh exfoliants, which should only be used a couple of times a week.

Face wipes: I'm probably going to get shot by beauty bloggers everywhere for admitting this, but yes, I am an avid face-wipe user! To be honest it's primarily out of laziness. When i'm tired and getting ready for bed I don't tend to want to embark upon a massive cleansing routine. These Garnier Fresh Essentials Ultra-Cleansing wipes (usually £3.25 from Boots) easily and quickly remove the majority of my makeup and leave my face feeling fresh and clean.

Toner: I love this Olay Essentals Refreshing Toner (usually £2.99 at Boots) SO much. As I mentioned above, face wipes are great for quickly removing your make-up. However, they don't always remove all traces of it and so after using wipes I like to take some of this toner on a cotton wool pad and wipe all over my face, to make sure i've completely taken off all of my make-up. This particular product leaves my skin feeling incredibly clean and refreshed.

Moisturiser: After using toner, before I go to bed I use Olay Beauty Fluid (usually £5.99 at Boots) all over my face. This is honestly my holy grail moisturiser. It's amazing. It is incredibly hydrating and nourishing but it's biggest advantage point is that it is absorbed into the skin SO quickly. I also apply this before putting on any of my make-up and it's great because I don't have to wait around for ages waiting for it to dry. Olay also sell a slightly different version particularly for those of you with sensitive skin (see here).

Although all of these products are very affordable anyway, Boots currently have an 1/3 off offer on selected Olay skincare and Superdrug have various Olay products in their "better than 1/2 price" deal, so you can get your hands on these effective skincare products for EVEN cheaper!

PS On my nails i'm wearing Kingsland Road by Barry M!